Cal Poly pledge died of alcohol poisoning

Cal Poly fraternity pledge Carson Starkey had a blood alcohol level of nearly five times the legal driving limit when he died Dec. 2, according to an autopsy report released Jan. 21.

According to the autopsy, the cause of Starkey’s death was respiratory arrest due to acute ethanol toxicity. Starkey died following a party at Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the fraternity to which he was pledging. Police have been investigating the incident as a possible hazing-related crime.

The analysis showed a range of alcohol in his system of between .39 percent and .447 percent. The legal driving limit is .08 percent blood alcohol. No marijuana or other drugs were found in his system.